39 Best universities for Sociology in Australia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Australia ranked based on their research performance in Sociology. A graph of 22.2M citations received by 755K academic papers made by 39 universities in Australia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#24 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 77,162
Founded: 1853

2. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#25 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

3. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Sociology

#31 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

4. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#49 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,864
Founded: 1949

5. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Sociology

#52 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

6. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Sociology

#55 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

7. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Sociology

#116 in the World

Founded: 1971

8. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Sociology

#127 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

9. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#10 in Oceania

#134 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

10. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Sociology

#11 in Oceania

#136 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

11. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Sociology

#13 in Oceania

#141 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

12. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#14 in Oceania

#158 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

13. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#15 in Oceania

#169 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

14. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#16 in Oceania

#203 in the World

Founded: 1965

15. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Sociology

#17 in Oceania

#220 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Enrollment: 58,607
Founded: 1966

16. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Sociology

#19 in Oceania

#228 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

17. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#20 in Oceania

#247 in the World

Founded: 1991

18. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Sociology

#21 in Oceania

#248 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

19. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#22 in Oceania

#251 in the World

Founded: 1966

20. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Sociology

#23 in Oceania

#260 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

21. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#24 in Oceania

#286 in the World

Founded: 1887

22. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Sociology

#25 in Oceania

#295 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Enrollment: 33,879
Founded: 1890

23. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Sociology

#27 in Oceania

#325 in the World

Founded: 1970

24. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Sociology

#31 in Oceania

#430 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

25. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Sociology

#32 in Oceania

#458 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Enrollment: 17,576
Founded: 1967

26. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Sociology

#33 in Oceania

#491 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

27. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Sociology

#34 in Oceania

#517 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

28. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Sociology

#35 in Oceania

#521 in the World

Founded: 1908

29. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Sociology

#36 in Oceania

#522 in the World

Founded: 1991

30. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Sociology

#37 in Oceania

#528 in the World

Founded: 1991

31. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Sociology

#38 in Oceania

#642 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1967

32. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#39 in Oceania

#676 in the World

Founded: 1990

33. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Sociology

#40 in Oceania

#744 in the World

Founded: 1967

34. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Sociology

#41 in Oceania

#757 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

35. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Sociology

#42 in Oceania

#852 in the World

Founded: 1989

36. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Sociology

#43 in Oceania

#906 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

37. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Sociology

#44 in Oceania

#978 in the World

Founded: 1987

38. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Sociology

#45 in Oceania

#1076 in the World

Founded: 1870

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Sociology

#47 in Oceania

#1416 in the World

Enrollment: 11,579
Founded: 1989

The best cities to study Sociology in Australia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Melbourne, Sydney, St Lucia, and Clayton.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Australia

Broadcast Journalism34

Classics and Ancient History39

Communications and Public Relations39

Criminology and Criminal Justice39

Early Childhood Education38

Education Majors39

Forensic Science32

Gender Studies39

Human Rights Law36

Intellectual Property and Patent Law34

International Law31

International Relations and Diplomacy30

Journalism and Digital Media38

Law Enforcement36

Library and Information science39

Media Studies39

Military science36

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution38

Occupational Safety and Health38

Political Economy37

Political Science39

Public Policy / Administration39

Radio and Television broadcasting32

Special Education36

Sports / Exercise science38

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies39

Urban and Regional planning36